AN open verdict has been recorded at an inquest into the death of a 40-year-old man from Hayle, whose body was found at the base of cliffs at Hell's Mouth.

Michael Weirs, known to friends and family as Chris, was found dead on July 26 last year after his sister contacted the police following a mobile phone conversation.

Linda Arkley told the Truro inquest she became concerned about her brother after her daughter received a text message from him at around midnight. She rang him on his mobile and he told her he'd had enough and couldn't take it anymore.

"I pleaded with him not to do anything silly," said Ms Arkley. "Please do not take your life is there any way you can get to me?' He said he couldn't because he didn't have any money for petrol."

She told him to hang on as someone was coming and that the women of the past were not worth it. He started to cry and the last thing he said before the phone went dead was 'I'm slipping, where are they, where are they?'"

Ms Arkley said during the conservation she became aware that his speech was slurred, although he denied drinking, and she could hear waves crashing.

She contacted the police and told them she thought he was on North Cliffs. Pc Martyn Horton, along with a colleague, went to the Hell's Mouth car park at the top of the cliffs where they found Mr Weir's white Astra van.

He and his colleague carried out a search for Mr Weirs but, due to the darkness, called in a search and rescue team for help.

Mr Weirs' body was soon spotted in Derrick Cove by a search and rescue helicopter from RNAS Culdrose.

Portreath Coastguard cliff rescue team, led by station officer Christopher Roberts, recovered Mr Weirs' body at around 5am.

It was lying face down in a rock pool with multiple injuries, 300 feet from the top of the cliff. The body was brought back up to the cliff top in a body bag by rope ladder where Mr Weirs was formally declared dead.

Police later found a mobile phone, a bottle of whiskey and a bottle of beer at the edge of the cliffs.

A toxicology report later revealed that Mr Weirs would was over nearly twice the drink drive limit and there were traces of the anti-depressant Citalopram and cannabis in his body.

Recording his verdict, coroner Edward Carlyon said it could not be proved whether Mr Weirs had jumped or had fallen as the combination of the alcohol and the Citalopram may have impaired his balance.